NANCY K. JOHNSON, Magistrate Judge.
Pending before the court
Plaintiff filed this action requesting judicial review regarding her claim for supplemental security income under Title XVI of the Social Security Act ("the Act").
Plaintiff applied for supplemental security income on February 18, 2011, and it was denied in an initial determination dated August 18, 2011.
Federal courts have jurisdiction to review "any final decision of the Commissioner of Social Security made after a hearing to which he was a party." 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). Final decision is defined in the regulations. 20 C.F.R. § 404.900(a). In order to exhaust administrative remedies, a plaintiff must go through the following administrative review process: (1) initial determination; (2) reconsideration; (3) hearing with an Administrative Law Judge; (4) review by the Appeals Council. 20 C.F.R. § 404.900(a). Once a plaintiff has exhausted these four steps, the Commissioner's decision is final and judicial review in federal district court may be sought for an unfavorable decision. 20 C.F.R. § 404.900(a)(5). "If a claimant fails to request review from the Council, there is no final decision and, as a result, no judicial review in most cases."
The question in a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure ("Rule") 12(b)(6) motion is whether the complaint states a valid claim when all well-pleaded facts are assumed true and are viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.
A complaint need not contain "detailed factual allegations" but must include sufficient facts to indicate the plausibility of the claims asserted, raising the "right to relief above the speculative level."
Under Rule 12(d), "[i]f, on a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) . . . matters outside the pleadings are presented and not excluded by the court, the motion must be treated as one for summary judgment under Rule 56." Here, Defendant submitted administrative records and an affidavit in support of their motion to dismiss. Therefore, the court will treat Defendant's motion as one for summary judgment.
Summary judgment is warranted when the evidence reveals that no genuine dispute exists on any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a);
The movant must inform the court of the basis for the summary judgment motion and must point to relevant excerpts from pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions, or affidavits that demonstrate the absence of genuine factual issues.
Defendant's evidence demonstrates that Plaintiff filed this action after receiving the Notice of Planned Action form, without filing a request for reconsideration. Therefore, Plaintiff has failed to exhaust her administrative remedies in this case and has not received a final decision from the Commissioner. The court
As Rule 12(d) requires the court to give the parties a reasonable opportunity to present relevant information when it considers matters outside the pleadings, Plaintiff may submit evidence, in the form of objections to this memorandum and recommendation, to raise a genuine issue of material fact that she exhausted her administrative remedies prior to filing suit.
The Clerk shall send copies of this Memorandum and Recommendation to the respective parties who have fourteen days from the receipt thereof to file written objections thereto pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b) and General Order 2002-13. Failure to file written objections within the time period mentioned shall bar an aggrieved party from attacking the factual findings and legal conclusions on appeal.
The original of any written objections shall be filed with the United States District Clerk electronically. Copies of such objections shall be mailed to opposing parties and to the chambers of the undersigned, 515 Rusk, Suite 7019, Houston, Texas 77002.